Five things we learned: Marketing RL, expansion games, club doctors
There were a number of things that we discovered at the weekend, including the marketing and advertising of the sport.
Leigh need time to gel
Leigh Centurions suffered their second defeat of the season against Barrow Raiders on Sunday. Neil Jukes’ side signed 19 new players in the off-season and even though some players in the camp have suggested that they jelled quickly, there must be a slight issue playing together and you can understand that reasoning entirely. You would be a bit naive if you thought that they would be hitting straps straight away because before the season began, there were only a handful of Leigh players who had previously played together. It will take time for the squad to reach their potential.
There is interest there if you market it right
Rugby League has received quite a hammering in recent months over media coverage and the ‘little’ amount of national press it gets. However, if the clubs can market it right, then we are certainly on the right track of growing rugby league. There are clubs who are doing a great job of marketing the game and the frontrunners are Wigan Warriors and Hull FC, for sure. We are talking a slightly smaller scale today but credit must be given to York City Knights and their media team. Gavin Wilson is the media manager at the Knights and his marketing, along with the help of a couple of others, brought in 4,261 spectators at Bootham Crescent as they just fell short to League 1 favourites Bradford Bulls.
More games should be taken on the road
Wigan Warriors and Hull FC’s New South Wales tour came to a close on Saturday. They played in a double-header at the ANZ Stadium against South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra respectively and there were over 18,000 fans in attendance. The figures clearly show that Super League has the power to expand and we will hopefully see more games taken on the road. Maybe we could see a couple in Cumbria and hopefully kickstart the sport in the historic heartland? It doesn’t always have to go abroad, remember!
Doctor’s should always pack the kit before they leave the house
Just like a player should remember his boots for a game, a Doctor should remember all of his bits and bobs. West Wales Raiders were forced to cancel their League 1 clash with Newcastle Thunder at the weekend due to the doctor, provided by the Raiders, not having all of his correct gear in case something was to happen regarding a players health. The Thunder squad and fans will be hugely disappointed after making the 720 mile-round trip. This could only happen in Rugby League, couldn’t it?
London aren’t an expansion side anymore
Are London still an expansion side? Technically, yes, but they have got all the foundations to be to be a future Super League club and are now a stable outfit with no financial worries *touches wood*. They now have a permanent home in the Ealing Trailfinders Sports Club, which is a great ground by the way, while Danny Ward has got a great squad for 2018. The Broncos, as a club, look as good as they’ve ever been and the fan base is growing as well, slowly but surely. Positive signs are coming from the capital.
What did you learn from this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.